Written by Daniel, Dan
So you’ve decided to move to a different country. You’ve already found an international shipping company to get any furniture and items you wish to take, you have (or will soon have) your permits/visas in hand, and are almost ready to go. The only problem is that you have birds you wish to take with you – what now? This article will you save countless hours of research.
The first thing you need to do is find out the taxonomy of your bird. This is important when figuring out if it is on CITES (more on that next), and if so, which appendix. Some searches on Google (or if you’d like, you can post on the message board asking) will yield this information easily. All parrots are in the Psittaciformes order and in one of three families: Cacatuidae (cockatoos), Loriidae (lories and lorikeets), and Psittacidae (other parrots).
CITES
Next, you need to find out if your bird is on CITES or not. CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and is signed by dozens of countries worldwide in order to protect both animals and plants from extinction. The United States and post countries are part of this. A full list of all countries involved can be found on this page.
On the CITES website, there is a search page to find out if your bird is on there, but I do not recommend it as it is misleading -- many times the list will not have all specific species listed but instead just their order or family (which is why it is important to know this). The gist is this: all parrots (Psittaciformes), but for peach-faced lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis), cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus), and budgies (Melopsittacus undulatus, also known as “parakeets” and “budgerigars”) are on CITES.
The species on CITES is divided into three parts: Appendix I, II, and III. Appendix I is for the most endangered species that are threatened with extinction – if your bird is under this category, it will be extremely hard to move with it internationally. Appendix II, where most parrots lie, is for species that are not threatened with extinction at this point but may one day become threatened if trade is not regulated. Appendix III is simply for species that are not at risk to be endangered but that have been added at the request of a country so other countries will help regulate its trade and often only apply to a few countries. See this list to find out which appendix your parrot is under – find where the Psittaciformes section begins and see if your bird species is listed. If your specific species isn’t listed individually (many cockatoos and Amazons are under Appendix I), then it falls under the general Psittaciformes category, which is under Appendix II.
What does it mean to you if your bird is on CITES? Since species under CITES are regulated more carefully when it comes to trade and moving, you will have to jump through more obstacles to move your bird to your new country with you (but don’t be discouraged – it is certainly not impossible, unless your bird is under Appendix I in which case it may actually be impossible). This usually means nothing more than working with one or two extra permits (CITES export/import permits) on top of the regular export/import permits. If you are moving internationally and only own birds in the three species that are not on CITES, consider yourself lucky – your moving process will be easier and not involve these extra permits.
Please note that while I did focus on parrots on the above, CITES includes all types of birds, so it is vital to check the link above to see if your bird is on there.
Preparations
Most forms, whether they are just the regular ones or the CITES ones, will require a lot of information about your bird. Here are some of the requirements almost all countries require for exportation/importation.
Your bird will need have some sort of identification – this means a leg band and/or microchip (and most often it is best to have both). If your bird did not have a band (closed ring) put on when he was a baby, you will need to get one put on (split ring band).
You will also need to have a microchip implanted into your bird. As long as it weighs 90-100g or above and is at least a few months old, it should be eligible for this. You need to find out which standard for microchips your new country uses – almost all countries, but for the United States, use the ISO standard (one more digit than the American standard). This means that if you are moving from the United States, you cannot put in a regular microchip as it would not be able to be read when you arrive at the new country (well, that’s not exactly true – if you want to put in a regular microchip, that is alright if you also bring along with you a scanner that can read that chip, but that would be much more expensive). Thankfully, AVID, the most common microchip company in the US, also has what they call a “Eurochip,” which uses ISO standard. To get this chip, you will often have to put in a special order for it at your vet office since few vet offices carry these. It will also cost more (approximately $90 instead of the regular $30-40) but will be worth it and a lot cheaper than getting your own scanner (which can run in the hundreds of dollars). This also applies to people from countries using the ISO standard (like all European countries) coming to the US – you will need a chip using the American standard (or bring along an ISO chip reader).
Another thing you will need to know is the gender of your bird. If you cannot visually sex it, you will need to get it DNA sexed (usually about thirty dollars).
Finally, you will need a health certificate for your bird. This is often done three to four months before your move (as the forms usually need to be sent in between one to four months early due to backlogs – in the US for exportation, it is about three months). Find out whether this needs to be endorsed by someone. Any regular vet can get you this health certificate, but in the US for example, it needs to be certified by an APHIS vet. To find your local APHIS vet and set up an appointment, see this page.
There are other requirements (like statements from your original bird breeder) but those vary from country to country and are listed in each other’s forms so I will not mention those.
Forms and More
You will to find out which departments from each country you will have to deal with and get both export and import forms to be able to move your bird with. With the US, you will have to deal with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. You only have one form to work with, even if your bird is under CITES (it applies to all). For import and export permits for the US, see see this page -- you will need form 3-200-46. Many countries often have two separate forms – one general one for all pets (or a specific one for birds) and then one for CITES. Be sure to find out from your country where you can find this out, get the forms needed, etc. (this information and the forms themselves are often available on the department’s website.)
Be sure to find out how soon you need to apply to get your permits and forms approved. The US Fish and Wildlife Service recommends you apply at least three months in advice for an export, while Sweden, for example, only requires you to apply a month in advance for an import. Also make sure you check and pay the fees in the ways they wish you to.
Before and at the Airport
You now have all your permits, the health certificate, etc. – your bird is ready to go! Now, you need to find out how to get your bird over to your new country. You will most likely be going by airplane. Flights can be stressful for your bird but you can make it as painless as possible (for both of you).
You need a good airline transportation kennel/container to take your bird in. It cannot be very large but try to make it as comfortable as possible. Airlines often allow you to purchase one of these directly from them. Obviously, it needs to have ways for air to get in. Make sure the bird has plenty of food in there. Since you cannot have a water bowl in there, it is recommended that you put in a lot of fruits/veggies/etc. that have a high water content so that this will be the bird’s source of water during the duration of the flights. The bottom of the crate should have something like aspen shavings to keep things clean (aspen shavings are not as good as some other materials in absorbing and the like but are the best ones for birds, safety-wise, as they are not toxic). The crate must also be leak-proof, strong, and sturdy.
If you are moving to a country within your own continent, it is possible that your bird will be able to go in the cabin with you. For example, if you are going from the US to Canada or vice versa, Air Canada, Delta, and possibly other airlines will allow birds in cabin.
If you are going across the Atlantic from the US to Europe or vice versa, your bird will most likely not be able to go in cabin with you. A few airlines, like Air France, allow budgies, canaries, and finches to go in cabin (but only a couple of them), so if you are only going with one of these types of birds, this may be your preferred option. If you have any other bird, it will most likely have to go in the cargo. Where pets go, the temperature and pressure are regulated like in the cabin. Since it is often dark and since the ride will be bumpy, your bird will probably be scared but it should be fine (the chances of death during such transportation are small -- – 1% of pet air travel has incidents – but the risk is always there no matter how miniscule so be sure to assess them – however, it will most likely just be a stressful experience for your bird).
Also, keep in mind that most airlines will not allow birds to fly in the cargo if it is too hot or too cold outside (because when they are being loaded and unloaded). Most airlines do not allow pets to fly if it is colder than 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) or hotter than 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29.44 degrees Celsius) so keep this in mind when choosing which airport to fly out from and during which part of year (some airlines don’t allow pets at all during the really hot and really cold months).
If you are moving from the United States to Europe and your city’s airport has no flights to Europe, you will obviously need to get to that city (this also applies to anyone in any country that needs to get to a city that has international flights). If you will be flying to this city, try to find an airline that will allow your bird to go in the cabin with you so that at least this flight it won’t have to go in the cargo. One example of such an airline that allows any bird in the cabin on national flights is Delta.
Make sure that you get the shortest flights possible – and also the smallest number of flights. This is essential to make the rides as least stressful for your bird as possible. If you are going to Europe from the US, for example, try to get a direct flight to the city you will be moving to and avoid unneeded connections in other countries. If you are going to a city that has no direct flights and you need to connect anywhere, at least try make that connection be in the same country you are moving to (i.e. if you are moving to Linköping, Sweden, you obviously can’t fly direct to there so you will have to connect somewhere – try to make that connection be Stockholm and not a city in another country like Copenhagen).
If you can’t find anything cheap connecting in the same country, don’t worry – this is usually not a big issue as the regulations for most countries in Europe are very similar. However, I would avoid making any connections in the UK. Their laws are much stricter than any other EU country on pets (they don’t go with the EU laws on this) and so you may have big issues there even if you are only connecting. (If you are moving to the UK, then you of course have no choice so just make sure you check up on their regulations very closely as it will most likely be a bit more complicated and require more then what I have outlined here.)
Be sure to book your flights early (i.e. at least a few months). In cabin, airlines often only allow two pets per flight so if you wait too long your bird may not be able to go on with you. If your bird is going in the cargo, it won’t be as hard as they allow more pets there – however, it is still recommended that you do it early as you never know how many pets may be traveling that day. (In the United States alone, over half a million dogs and cats travel in planes per year – and that is dogs and cats alone.) It is also recommended that you fly on a weekday and non-peak time – not only will this be cheaper for you, there will probably be less pets trying to get on that flight (this applies to both cabin and cargo travel).
When you arrive at the airport, your bird will need to be checked by a vet to make sure it is “cleared for takeoff.” Most large airports will have a vet available for this, but you will often have to set up an appointment before hand (this makes it especially important to give yourself a lot of time at the airport and if it applies, long layovers). This almost always applies to when you’re leaving a country and very often to when you’re arriving in your new one too, so make sure you double check this with both countries. For exporting from the US, you have to call the US Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement Inspector to arrange an inspection of your bird. You should do this at least 72 hours before you plan on leaving. At this time, you should also get the Declaration for Importation/Exportation of Wildlife (Form 3-177 at the Fish and Wildlife Service website) to provide to the inspector at the airport. You will need information from both your export and import permits, but since you only do this with 72 hours to go you should already have them.
Most European countries do not require quarantine of birds, so I will not get into this, but it is important you double check this with your destination country.
A Possible Return
If you are only traveling temporarily to a country and wish to bring your bird along, the procedure for you to take your bird to that country will the same at this. The only difference is that you will also then need export permits from your destination country and re-import permits from your original country (this also applies if you moved and then later on wish to move back).
Other Pets
If you are taking other pets with you, such as a dog, it will most likely require other things like rabies and other shots as well as quarantine. The procedure will be similar to what has been outlined in this article, but make sure to look into the details to see exactly how it differs and what else you may be required to do.
Conclusion
Moving your bird with you to a new country can indeed be challenging and will cost a bit. Please do not be overwhelmed by everything you have read here. It is certainly possible and once you get into it, you will see that it is not as hard as it seems. Many have done it and so can you! When I did all the research for this (as I myself am moving internationally), it was very hard to get all the information/steps required as they all came from countless places and never came together – confusion and stress were abound and it took months to find it all out. Hopefully they have all come together here in this article for you -- my hope is that this article will facilitate the process and save you literally hours and hours of research.